EA-1442: Final Environmental Assessment

The Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), has responsibility for national programs to reduce and counter threats from weapons of mass destruction including nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons (bioweapons). NNSA’s bioscience work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in support of these missions requires work with infectious agents, including those historically used for bioweapons. The laboratory’s pioneering work on biological agent (bioagent) detection and counter-terrorism technologies, and basic research understanding of emerging and re-emerging natural diseases are key elements of the LLNL efforts to support the NNSA mission. As a result, the need to conduct research with infective agents in a secure environment at LLNL and within NNSA is growing rapidly.